Considering
the talent on this roster, the right mindset
could translate to immediate success. That
outlook could be halted, however, by a brutal
non-conference schedule. Road trips to Wisconsin
and Penn State, and a home tilt with West
Virginia will test the resolve of the team
right out of the gate. Win one, it's a triumph.
Win two, you're a Cinderella. But lose all
three (the most likely scenario), and that
conference schedule suddenly becomes more
daunting. Northern Illinois and Marshall
will truly test them. But also expect a
few of the lesser conference foes (with
strong running games) to upset them. The
daunting nature of their kind of slate usually
helps most squads prosper by season's second
half - once those 18-22 year olds see their
meddle tested, potential can then be soon
reached.

O'Leary
will bring an attitude and swagger to UCF,
an approach that was lacking in '03. O'Leary
was a terrific hire for UCF and will produce
results. Whether or not that happens this
year will depend on three things: the team's
recovery from their non-conference backhand;
the progression of Moffett; and the performances
of both lines. Those three roadblocks stand
between UCF and a run at any national achievement.
Also suspect is/was UCF's inability to start
strong - they scored only 19 first quarter
points in 2003! Despite those questions,
it is realistic to expect the Knights to
challenge for a winning season and make
a run in MAC East. O'Leary is one of the
best coaches in football; he won't accept
anything less.

Quarterback
Sophomore Steven Moffett is an unproven performer,
but a talented athlete. At 6'3" and with
4.6-speed, he is prototypical. His skills are
viable and multi-fold, his play on the field smooth
and fluid. That said, Moffett has yet to play
any meaningful minutes and will undoubtedly endure
the growing pains every young signal caller must
go through. Given time, he should be a tremendous
player. If Moffett stumbles out of the gate; however,
the coaches won't hesitate to use experienced
senior Jon Rivera. Rivera is another dual threat
who will make this unit stronger, even if just
by being there for Moffett.

Running
Back
UCF was one of only a few teams nationally to
average less than one hundred yards rushing per
game. Some of that can be attributed to scheme,
but not most. Production was putrid, inconsistent,
and, in many games, non-existent. A major emphasis
was placed on the ground game in spring practice,
an effort that will pay dividends down the road.
Returning starter Alex Haynes has the potential
to be a solid feature back. He rushed for 774
yards last season, but has struggled to show big-play
ability. He will be challenged by sophomore Dontavius
Wilcox. Blocking back Dee Brown quit the team
in June to concentrate on baseball. The RBs are
tremendous receivers out of the backfield, but
there must be more here for this unit to be something
upon which the team can rely to help it win, not
lose.

Receiver
The Golden Knights are talented, deep and experienced
- they return four players who totaled 20 or more
receptions or more in '03. Leading the way are
senior starters Tavaris Capers and Luther Huggins.
Capers is an excellent underneath receiver, who
is the number one option on short and mid-range
passing routes. He is undersized (at 5'8"),
but is quick enough to break free. He also has
a knack for the endzone. Huggins has a similar
build to Capers, but enough speed to stretch the
field more regularly. Mike Walker is one of the
best deep threats in the MAC. Depth abounds, too.
This is possibly the best WR unit in the conference.

Tight
End
Tight end Darcy Johnson has good size and is an
athletic option who will find himself in favorable
situations with the receivers demanding so much
attention. He has been a proven go-to target,
even as a deep threat and in scoring situations.
Might the team be better served, though, if he
stayed home to run-block more?

Offensive
Line
This bunch needs to improve in many facets, especially
in their run blocking. The Knights finished ranked
101st in the nation for total offense. With such
talent at the skill positions, that type of production
is baffling. Youth can be blamed for much of their
struggles, as numerous freshmen were forced into
action. Those confused newcomers now have a year
of experience to their credit, meaning a more
confident and comfortable front line. As many
as four sophomore starters could make up the group
once again, but the youngsters will be game tested
and tackle Larry Peoples, center Cedric Gagne-Marcoux
and guard Dan Veenstra are each returning starters.
Based on that fact alone, some progress will be
made. But any real success won't be seen until
you see opponents forced to consistently commit
an extra helmet to the line.

OFFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
Moffett is inexperienced, but has the plus of
being coached by offensive guru George O'Leary.
The former Tech head coach thrives at adapting
play calling and formations to the strengths of
his players. He has to fix a 30% third-down conversion
rate that gave the UCF the ball for only 27+ minutes
per tilt. Look for the Knights to show numerous
looks and formations and take advantage of their
athleticism by rolling out Moffett and using multi-receiver
sets. That said, a concerted effort will be made
to run the football. With a new coach and new
quarterback, the offense should be a jumbled mess
early on. By mid-season, it could be a finer-tuned
machine.

TB
Alex Haynes

UCF
2004 DEPTH CHARTReturning Starters in bold

OFFENSE

QB

Steven
Moffett-So (6-3, 200)

Jon
Rivera-Sr (6-3, 190)

FB

Evandall
Williams-So (6-1, 220)

..

TB

Alex
Haynes-Sr (5-11, 220)

Dontavius
Wilcox-So (5-11, 205)

WR

Luther
Huggins-Jr (5-11, 180)

Brooks
Turner-So (6-0, 195)

WR

Tavaris
Capers-Sr (5-9, 165)

Brandon
Marshall-Jr (6-5, 210)

TE

Darcy
Johnson-Jr (6-6, 245)

Harvey
Joiner-Sr (6-3, 275)

OT

Larry
Peoples-Fr (6-6, 280)

Seth
Ulsh-So (6-4, 300)

OG

Adam
Butcher-Jr (6-3, 300)

Adam
Toeniskoetter-Jr (6-5, 295)

C

Cedric
Gagne-Marcoux-So (6-3, 290)

Aaron
Bern-Fr (6-4, 290)

OG

Dan
Veenstra-So (6-5, 310)

Brad
Williams-Fr (6-6, 270)

OT

Sean
Gilhuly-So (6-5, 310)

..

K

Matt
Prater-Jr (5-11, 175)

..

2004
DEFENSE

Defensive
Line
The defensive front is a major area of concern.
The line got relatively no pressure on opposing
quarterbacks last time around, a fault that consistently
cost the entire defense. Run stopping was suspect
- opponents marched all over the Knights (at a
190-yard per game clip to rank 93rd nationally).
More productivity is needed from returnees Paul
Carrington and Frisner Nelson. New starters Ben
Brinson and Trenton Jordan must step up as well.
Three (of the four) starters are upperclassmen,
with the fourth being a returning regular in Nelson.
If they don't show signs of improvement early,
expect a youth movement along the front line.
The five incoming freshman will be given a chance
to play early.

Linebacker
This unit is athletic, but it can be overwhelmed.
These guys struggled mightily at containing the
run. In addition, they also lost Antoine Poe,
a defensive leader, to a career ending injury.
Gerren Bray and Stanford Rhule are returning senior
starters who will provide leadership, but a pure
playmaker needs to emerge. Sophomore Tywin Kalandyk
can fit that bill. Four (of the top six) players
in the rotation will be either juniors or seniors.
That experience will translate to on-field savvy,
meaning better decision-making through keener
awareness and instincts. That said, they need
a more physical approach.

Defensive
Back
The UCF secondary is the strength of the defense,
but even this area has a few questions of its
own. While the squad as a whole is sound, they
both bent and broke too often at critical times.
How else do we explain their 45th ranking for
pass defense but a 109th pass-efficiency ranking?
First off, the entire defensive backfield combined
for merely two interceptions in 2003. Free safety
Peter Sands is the team's best playmaker has no
real weaknesses in his game. He and fellow senior
Atari Bigby's leadership will be key. Bigby is
a two-time All-MAC safety with NFL skills who
is, too, poised for a big final season. Ron Ellis
is an emerging, but young, talent at corner and
will be joined by Rovel Hamilton, a Maryland-transfer
who also needs some work. With three senior starters
and two of the conference's best players roaming
free, this unit should only improve. It will be
up to the front-seven to define how often the
DBs help will be needed in other areas.

DEFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
On paper, the defense looks like it will be better.
Many key contributors return, and six seniors
are slotted as starters. The secondary could be
great, but the front-seven will have to mature
for the entire unit to reach its potential. If
the Golden Knights continue to struggle at rushing
the passer, it will become more and more difficult
for Bigby, Sands and the corners to make plays.
Accordingly, the run-defense stands as the team's
Achilles Heel. Look for O'Leary and his staff
to jolt the lineup if the problem persists. UCF
has to allow less points in the first and fourth,
or teams will continue to either start or finish
strong, which obviously translates in the W&L
columns.

FS
Peter Sands

UCF
2004 DEPTH CHARTReturning Starters in bold

DEFENSE

DE

Paul
Carrington-Jr (6-6, 250)

Josh
Stephens-Sr (6-2, 242)

DT

Frisner
Nelson-So (6-2, 295)

Dennis
King-Fr (6-3, 220)

DT

Ben
Brinson-Jr (6-5, 270)

Marcus
Hubbard-Fr (6-3, 265)

DE

Trenton
Jordan-Sr (6-4, 230)

Chris
Welsh-So (6-6, 250)

SLB

Gerren
Bray-Sr (6-0, 220)

James
Cook-Jr (6-4, 210)

MLB

Stanford
Rhule-Sr (5-10, 220)

Brian
Goins-Fr (6-0, 220)

WLB

Lemec
Bernard-Jr (6-0, 205)

Tywin
Kalandyk-So (6-2, 210)

CB

Rovel
Hamilton-Sr (6-0, 185)

Sheldon
Shakespeare-Fr (5-10, 160)

CB

Ron
Ellis-So (5-10, 180)

Rashard
Johnson-Sr (6-0, 185)

SS

Atari
Bigby-Sr (5-11, 215)

Renford
Parkes-Fr (5-11, 200)

FS

Peter
Sands-Sr (6-2, 215)

Trevonn
Johnson-So (6-3, 185)

P

Scott
Sevin-Sr (6-0, 200)

Matt
Prater-Jr (5-11, 175)

2004
SPECIAL TEAMS

Matt
Prater is an accurate kicker who is fairly reliable
from inside 50 yards. His talents will prove valuable
late in the game at some point this season. Though the
nation's best punter from 2003, he was actually being
replaced in order to solidify his kicking skills. But
spring proved Prater is likely to be the starting punter
once again before the 2004 season ends. Tavaris Capers
is a quick and elusive return man. This unit is a plus
versus most opponents.